Osmania University officials hold meeting with students from Afghanistan
Hyderabad: Apprehensions over extension of Visas and scholarships continue to haunt the students from Afghanistan who are studying in the Osmania University here.
On Saturday, OU Vice Chancellor Prof. D Ravinder, along with OSD to VC Prof. B Reddya Naik, and University Foreign Relations Office director, Prof. V Appa Rao held an online meeting with about 80 Afghan students of the university to know about their issues and concerns.
A total of 158 Afghan nationals including 136 men and 22 women are studying various UG, PG and PhD courses offered by the campus, constituent and affiliated colleges of the university. Of these students, 120 have got Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) scholarships while the rest are pursuing courses under self-finance.
Given the grim situation that is prevailing after Taliban took over Afghanistan, the students expressed their concerns over the finances as their parents might lose jobs back home. Some students who were married sought to know whether they can bring their families here.
During the meeting, the students who have scholarships to study wanted to know about continuation of the scholarship, while students who were in self-finance course sought to know whether there were any scholarships to support their studies.
“We heard all their issues and concerns. The university can extend help which is within its purview and as per the government rules,” Prof. Appa Rao said.
